Hikis
Blessed Hikis
"The Empire might accept Yaltur as our chief god, but it is through Hikis that we owe our existence. You will accept her priest into this temple, Cleric Oilia. She is not her husband, and any servant of Blessed Hikis is welcome here. Be mindful who you are so eager to disparage, and I highly suggest you read 'From Hikis' to see just what it is she did for our people."Considered the second most important deity in The Empire of Belyos, just behind her husband and partner, Yaltur. Where Yaltur embodies the power and authority of the Empire, Hikis represents its safety and protection, and the provision of a homeland for all Imperial peoples. Daughter of Turbal, the leader of Usurpers with his sister Rhaxet and twin sister to Sanul, Hikis is highly regarded by all the free gods. It was she who declined to be presented as a child of a different Usurper to escape her life in secret, and instead travelled the breadth of the cosmos seeking an audience with the Primordials. Her determination and persistence paid off when she became the first of the gods to speak with Pande since the Primordials sequestered themselves away from the physical plane. It was Hikis' eloquence and charisma that convinced Pande to speak with Sis'retyr and release Saudo from imprisonment in The Underworld, although the personification of Life could not convince The Guardian to release any more of the Primae. Saudo freed the rest of Turbal's children and the Inheritance War began. Without Hikis asking Sanul to convince his wife, Dicac, one of the Stewards of the World,), to join their cause then the Inheritors may never have won their war, and it was Hikis who suggested to her husband Yaltur to offer new lands to their loyal human followers in the aftermath. The temple to Hikis is the second largest in Belyos after that of Yaltur's, and her priests are welcome in the temples of all the other gods, unlike those of the far more belligerent and warlike Yaltur.
Divine Domains
Like most of the gods of the Empire, Hikis' domain has shifted over time, growing both broader, and more specific. Originally, she represented the Empire as a home for its people, and the comfort one gets from belonging.
Over the years, whilst this general concept remains strong, Hikis is now the personification of the home as a place, and is invoked to ensure a safe place to live, and success for one's family. She also represents the faithful partner, one who will stand by their chosen regardless of trouble or problems, and considered to preside over weddings and partnership agreements.
Physical Description
Identifying Characteristics
Whilst none of the gods have manifested in almost two thousand years, descriptions of Hikis in physical form have been retained since then, and are consistent in each account.
Like all the Inheritor Gods, she has the olive skin and dark hair and eyes of a typical Imperial, and stands just a touch shorter than her husband at almost two metres in height. Her face is never described as beautiful, not like some of the other gods, but instead as captivating and serene; she would not turn heads until she spoke, with her quiet, commanding voice that demanded attention.
She is usually portrayed in loose Imperial style robes, red in colour, and almost always has flowers or plants in her hands or around her person.
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